LeBron James has placed the NBA on hold for another night.
The Chosen One met for more than an hour with Heat officials in Las Vegas on July 9, according to reports. He left the meeting and huddled with family members, Yahoo! Sports reported. He wasnít expected to announce his intentions until July 10, at the earliest.
The NBA superstar has supposedly narrowed his free-agent choice down to two teams: Miami or Cleveland.
The Cavs freed up salary-cap space earlier in the day on July 9 by trading guard Jarrett Jack and swingman Sergey Karasev to Brooklyn and center Tyler Zeller and a first-round pick to Boston. They are $21.7 million under the cap, more than enough to sign James to a maximum contract.
The Cavs are also trying to work out a deal for Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love. Such a trade might be contingent on signing James, Yahoo! Sports reports.
The first year of Jamesí potential deal would start at $20.7 million.
Fans across the world took to social media to find out where James was headed. They checked Twitter and www.lebronjames.com in search of answers.
Unfortunately, there were none to be found.
Jamesí camp is saying he has yet to make his decision. If he had decided to return to Cleveland, he would have informed Riley. That would not have been an easy thing to do face to face. On the flip side, he reportedly didnít commit to re-signing with the Heat, either, during the meeting.
The Heat have advanced to four consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals, winning titles in 2012 and 2013. It would not be easy to bolt from Miami after that kind of success rate. Yet, the Heat have yet to seriously improve the roster.
The Cavs boast some of the best young talent in the league, which could be appealing to the 29-year-old James. There is a legitimate supporting cast, led by two-time All-Star Kyrie Irving.
Coming home to Cleveland where he played the first seven years of his career might be attractive. There are advantages to both destinations.
James will get a max deal from both clubs, even though Miami can pay a little more and potentially add a fifth season to the contract.
Itís all about winning. The Cavs would likely win in excess of 50 games next season with James on the roster. They might become the top club in the Eastern Conference.
But Miami would be just as good or better if the Big Three returns intact.†
The NBA moratorium ends on July 10, and the Cavs are expected to announce two separate deals: 1) the Jack-Karasev-Zeller trade listed above, and 2) Alonzo Gee to Charlotte for Brendan Haywood and Dwight Powell.
But the biggest deal in the league is still pending.
James is a four-time Most Valuable Player. He has averaged 27.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists in the first 11 seasons of his career.

About the Author

Bob has covered the Cavs for The News-Herald and Morning Journal since 1995. He's a graduate of Kent State University and New Philadelphia High School. Reach the author at rfinnan@news-herald.com
or follow Bob on Twitter: @BobCavsinsider.